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Spot Reduction

By Dr. Glenn Dawson

Not possible! Just as you can’t determine where your body will store fat, you can’t determine where your body will lose fat. For example, abdominal exercises will not cause fat to be lost in that specific area. Enough said, don’t ask again.

Also included in the “don’t ask again” category is the upper/lower ab notion. The rectus abdominis is a broad flat muscle attached to the pelvis below and the ribs above. It flexes the lumbar vertebra. There is no upper/lower ab muscle.

Dr. Dawson is a retired exercise physiologist with 47 years’ experience as tenured faculty at Wake Forest University and UNC-Charlotte, director of orthopedic and cardiac rehabilitation programs, adult/senior wellness director, and author of research articles published in The Journal of Applied Physiology, Journal of Applied Psychology, Journal of American Geriatrics, Physician and Sports Medicine, The Swiss Medical Journal, and others.